Police: Charleroi man encouraged teen to sell drugs
A Charleroi man is in custody on charges he encouraged a 16-year-old boy to sell drugs for him Tuesday, deals that allegedly took place in a fast-food restaurant’s rest room.
Charleroi Regional police arrested Marcus Lamar Askerneese, 24, of 107 Lincoln Ave., after receiving a complaint about 3 p.m. about drug deals taking place in a McDonald’s at 318 McKean Ave., court records show.
Police arrived there and broke up a group congregating around the rest room, not before finding a stolen handgun in a female’s purse and 25 Xanax tablets in the boy’s book bag, the affidavit indicates.
Askerneese told police the 9 mm semiautomatic handgun belonged to him, that he recently found it in the alley. The boy, when questioned, told police Askerneese had given him 50 pills to sell, telling him to pay $100 for them and keep the profits. The boy also said he had already sold 20 of the pills for $40, the record shows.
Askerneese is charged with carrying a firearm without a license, receiving stolen property and corruption of minors. He is in Washington County on $10,000 bond set by District Judge Valarie Costanzo.
The boy is in the custody of his parents and will be charged in a juvenile petition with drug possession with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.